A radical homemaker in Sudbury, Northern Ontario, making bread, shopping smart and conducting experiments in living.

Triple Hitters: Frugal, Green and Healthy

There are many things in this life that are not only frugal, but are also good for the environment AND good for your health. Here, off the top of my head, are a few of these amazing triple hitters:

– hanging laundry to dry

– riding a bike instead of a car

– curb shopping (good for your health if it involves walking around neighbourhoods sleuthing out stuff, as well as hauling the stuff, and potentially fixing it. Which leads me to . . .)

– learning to fix stuff up (often uses muscles you didn’t know you had. Also, learning new skills is good for your brain, which in turn is good for your health!)

– walking instead of driving

– giving up coffee (assuming you don’t replace it with something worse!)

– growing your own food

– harvesting your own wild food

– baking your own bread (especially sourdough 🙂 )

– soaking your grains (this is frugal as it reduces cooking time and makes them more filling, thus requiring smaller serving sizes. And it’s healthier because it makes the nutrients easier to absorb)

– getting out to neighbourhood events (lonely people are less healthy than people with lots of social contacts, and getting to know your neighbours can lead to resource sharing which is both frugal and easier on the environment than everyone buying their own thingamawhosit)

The funny thing is, many of these triple hitters also hit the Resiliency mark: building community, fixing stuff, traveling by foot or bike, growing your own food, learning about wild plants . . . almost everything on the list can also make people more self-sufficient and interdependent in their communities.

Strong communities are cheaper, healthier and better for the environment. So why is it that most advertising and media are trying to drive us all apart . . .

4 thoughts on “Triple Hitters: Frugal, Green and Healthy”

We recently switched to only drinking tea and water at home. Without all the other juices and milks (unless they are a recipe ingredient) our groceries cost about 30% less and weigh far less when I carry them. I also have far less packaging to recycle.